Ferrari chief strategist Rueda: 'You only have seven minutes to check the car'

Last Sunday was a dramatic day for Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. He was supposed to start on pole at the Monaco GP, but due to a problem with the car he couldn't start the race. This was due to a crash during qualifying. Iñika Rueda, Ferrari's chief strategist, talks about the procedure and explains why Leclerc didn't start from the pit lane in the end.

Due to the Ferrari driver's crash, the team had to request permission from the FIA to examine the car for damage. For this, Rueda explains the following: "We had two and a half hours to ask permission from the FIA to look at the damage to Charles' car. Once the damage is determined, we have to ask for the parts to be replaced."

Pit lane start disadvantageous for Leclerc

Ferrari's chief strategist explains that you only have ten minutes to do laps on the track to check the car. If a problem is discovered during these laps, the team has two options. They can bring the car back to the garage or drive onto the grid and check the car. Because the team chose to bring Leclerc's car to the garage, they only had seven minutes to check it. If the car is not on the grid after seven minutes, it cannot leave the pit lane. According to Rueda, a pit lane start was not an option for Leclerc, as he would have had to start on the soft compound.